Research Design Connections: Greenspace is Good Even In Prisons
The Moran-led team links at-work greenspace to positive health outcomes, even for prison employees. The researchers determined that “prisons with a higher proportion of natural vegetation within their perimeter have lower levels of staff sickness, absence. . . . Econometric estimations presented in the paper confirm lower levels of staff sick-leave in prisons with more greenspace. This relationship persists when we control for [statistically remove the effects of] prison size, security level, age, level of crowding, levels of self-harm and violence among prisoners, and assaults against staff. The findings are significant in demonstrating the benefits of nature contact in workplaces in general.” Dominique Moran, Phil Jones, Jacob Jordaan, and Amy Porter. “Nature Contact in the Carceral Workplace: Greenspace and Staff Sickness Absence in Prisons in England and Wales.” Environment and Behavior, in press, https://doi.org/10.1177/00139165211014618 Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly …
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